Tanks
This is the fifth, and final, entry in a series of tutorial articles that are designed to help new players learn the ASLSK rules. Links to other entries in this series may be found at the end of this article. This article assumes that the reader has read, and understood, all of the previous articles. Rules and concepts discussed in the earlier articles will be used here with little or no explanation.
This article will cover ASLSK #3, which adds tanks to the ASLSK system and completes the basic ASLSK ruleset. Tanks add a whole additional layer of complexity to the basic ASL game system, and the vehicle rules differ from the Infantry rules in many fundamental ways. ASLSK #3 includes two types of vehicles: tanks and Armored Cars. These two types of vehicles can be collectively referred to as AFVs (Armored Fighting Vehicles).
Vehicle Counters
Vehicle counters are absolutely packed with information. These counters may seem cluttered at first glance, but this packed design actually benefits playability: ASLSK players have almost all of the information they need during a game right on the counter itself, which is handier than having to look up tank data on a separate card or chart.
Each vehicle counter includes a detailed overhead view line drawing of the vehicle, with the vehicle's name/model printed alongside the image. Some vehicle names may have a lowercase letter in parenthesis added at the end which denotes the country of origin for that vehicle. For example, the "(a)" on the Russian Sherman III counter shows that, even though this is a Russian tank, it was actually manufactured in America.
The caliber of the AFV's Main Armament (MA) appears in the lower left corner of the counter, and the ROF number (if any) appears above it. This MA information is read exactly the same way as it is on Gun counters. The only exception to this is those rare cases when the AFV's MA is not a Gun. The British Light Tank Mk VIB counter, for example, shows "*CMG" as its MA; this means that the tank's coaxial machine gun (CMG) is treated as its MA, and the asterisk tells you that there is additional usage information about this weapon on the back of the counter. If the note on the back of the counter is not clear, you then check the "Vehicle and Ordnance Historical Notes" booklet where it will be explained in greater detail. It is, in fact, always a good idea to review the historical notes for all of the vehicles involved in a scenario prior to playing it, to make sure that both players are aware of any special usage rules that might apply to those vehicles.
Sharp-eyed ASLSK players may notice that Sherman tanks equipped with 75mm Guns have their ROF number printed on a white background. This has no special meaning when using the ASLSK rules, but, for those who might be curious, in full ASL the white ROF background signifies that these tanks have a very fast and accurate turret traverse coupled with a relatively quick-firing Gun, which gives them certain advantages with respect to ASL's Multiple Hits rule and Gun Duels rule.
Breakdown numbers for AFV MA are handled exactly the same as for regular Guns: a B12 is assumed unless a B# appears on the AFV counter itself. But the two Russian IS-2 tank models have a special kind of B#... a B11 with a circle around the 11. The circled B# indicates that these tanks carried an unusually low number of rounds for their MA. These tanks could potentially run out of ammunition during a battle.
AFVs with a circled B# suffer MA malfunction normally, on an original TH DR of 12, but if the original TH DR is equal to or greater than the circled B# (and is not a 12) the AFV is then marked with a Low Ammo counter. The Low Ammo counter makes the original B# into a X# that will permanently disable the MA, and creates a new B# of one less than the original circled B#.
To summarize how this works, if a Russian IS-2 rolls:
* Original TH DR 12 – MA malfunctions (can be repaired)
* Original TH DR 11 – place Low Ammo counter on the tank
If an IS-2 with a Low Ammo counter rolls:
* Original TH DR 11 or 12 – MA permanently disabled (out of ammo)
* Original TH DR 10 – MA malfunctions (can be repaired)
A vehicle's machine gun armament is displayed in the lower right corner of its counter. This is a series of two or three Firepower (FP) numbers separated by slashes. When all three numbers are present, they are read from left to right as:
* Bow machine gun (BMG) – mounted in the front of the hull.
* Coaxial machine gun (CMG) – mounted in the turret alongside the MA.
* Anti-aircraft machine gun (AAMG) – mounted on top of the turret.
Or, in other words: BMG/CMG/AAMG
If the AFV does not have an AAMG, then only two numbers are used: BMG/CMG
If a dash is present instead of a number, then there is no BMG or CMG in that position. The Italian L3/35, for example, shows "4/-" which signifies that it has a 4 FP BMG and no CMG.
A few AFVs have rather unusual MG armament. The Russian IS-2m, for example, shows "1/4 R2/4" with a white dot behind the "1". This tank thus has a fixed-mount 1 FP BMG (+1 DRM when firing the BMG at a moving target), a 4 FP CMG, a 2 FP Rear machine gun (RMG) mounted in the back of the turret, and a 4 FP AAMG. The ASLSK #3 rules incorrectly identify the RMG as a "Rear coaxial MG" and neglect to point out that it has a Covered Arc (CA) exactly opposite that of the MA/CMG.
AAMGs are considered "optional" equipment on certain AFVs, so their counters come in two versions, some with an AAMG and some without. See the six Russian Sherman III counters: two of these counters include an AAMG, but the other four counters do not. When playing a scenario using such an AFV, you use the version depicted on the scenario card first, and only use the other version if additional counters are needed. Thus, if a scenario calls for three Sherman IIIs without AAMGs, you could not use the counters with an AAMG... but if the scenario calls for three Sherman IIIs with AAMGs, you would then use the two counters with AAMGs and one without an AAMG.
Vehicular MGs have a breakdown number of B12, they never cower, and they do not have a ROF rating unless they are also the vehicle's MA. BMGs and CMGs each have a CA that works the same way as a Gun's CA, but the AAMG has no CA and thus can always fire in any direction without any CA change DRM penalty.
A vehicle's Movement Point (MP) allowance is printed in the upper right corner of the counter. If this number is printed over a white oval, the vehicle is fully-tracked (a tank), and if it is printed over a white circle, the vehicle is wheeled (an Armored Car). If an asterisk appears next to the MP number, check the back of the counter and/or the historical notes for a special usage note. If the MP number is printed in red, the vehicle suffers from Mechanical Reliability problems.
AFVs can either be turreted or non-turreted. A turret allows the MA (and the CMG) to be aimed in any direction without having to change the direction that the vehicle itself is facing. A non-turreted AFV must turn the entire vehicle in order to aim the MA (which will always point to the AFV's front).
There are four possible turret classifications in ASLSK:
* Fast Turret Traverse (T) – a thin white circle surrounds the vehicle depiction.
* Slow Turret Traverse (ST) – a thin white square surrounds the vehicle depiction.
* Restricted Slow Traverse (RST) – a thick white square surrounds the vehicle depiction.
* Non-Turreted (NT) – there is no circle or square surrounding the vehicle depiction.
The one exception to the above list is the Russian KV-2. This tank is depicted as a NT tank, but it does indeed have a turret... which turns so slowly that the tank suffers NT AFV To Hit DRM penalties even when it turns the turret instead of the whole vehicle.
Each AFV is rated for the amount of armor protection it has in two areas: the turret, and the hull (the body of the AFV that the turret is mounted on). NT AFV's also have hull and turret armor ratings, but in this case "hull" simply refers to the lower part of the NT AFV's body, and "turret" refers to the upper part of the NT AFV's body. Both hull and turret areas are further subdivided into three facings: front, side, and rear.
The two numbers found directly below the MP rating, on the right side of the counter, are the AFV's Armor Factors. Armor Factors (AF) give the effective thickness of the armor in centimeters of vertical armor plate. Thus an AFV with a front hull AF of 11 has the equivalent of 110mm of armor protection on the front hull. In many cases the actual real-world thickness of an AFV's armor will be less than the value indicated by the AF, because the AF rating takes into account such things as sloping the armor to increase its effective thickness.
The ASL/ASLSK armor system uses a limited set of AF values:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 14, 18, and 26
No other AF values are allowed. An AF of 0 actually represents armor up to 1cm in thickness, and an AF of 1 represents armor that is 1cm to 1.5cm thick.
The two AF numbers printed on the AFV's counter are for the vehicle's hull. The top AF is the value for the front of the hull, and the bottom AF is the value for the side and rear of the hull. The AFs for the turret are derived directly from the hull AFs:
* If the hull AF has a square around it, the turret AF is one step stronger.
* If the hull AF is unmarked, the turret AF is identical to the hull AF.
* If the hull AF has a circle around it, the turret AF is one step weaker.
For example: a German Pz VIB's hull has a front AF of 26 and a side/rear AF of 8. The turret's AFs are 18 front (because the 26 is circled) and 11 side/rear (because the 8 has a square around it).
This armor rating system is incredibly elegant and simple in requiring only two numbers to describe the armor protection of an AFV. And it is surprisingly accurate: there are only a handful of WWII AFVs that don't quite fit this system (their hull and turret armor differ by more than one step on the ASL armor scale).
The convention that a circle = bad/worse and a square = good/better is used consistently throughout ASL/ASLSK. The only exception to this is when a circle or square appears around a squad's class designation. For example, there are two American Elite class squads: a 7-4-7 (marked with an "E") and a 6-6-7 (marked with an "E" with a square around it). The presence of a square surrounding the "E" on a 6-6-7 squad does not indicate that it is a better squad than a 7-4-7... it merely indicates that it is a different type of Elite.
AFVs can have varying levels of ground pressure, which affects their chances of becoming bogged. This is indicated on the counter with the unit ID letter in the upper left corner:
* Unit ID in a square = low ground pressure (good)
* Unit ID unmarked = normal ground pressure
* Unit ID in a circle = high ground pressure (bad)
And finally, the two AF numbers also indicate the target size of the AFV. Target size affects how easy it is to hit the AFV, with small targets being harder to hit and large targets being easier to hit:
* Very small target = white background behind both AFs
* Small target = white background behind top AF
* Normal target = no color
* Large target = top AF printed in red
* Very large target = both AFs printed in red
On the back of the vehicle counter, the vehicle depiction appears again on a plain white background. This is the vehicle's "wrecked" side; if the vehicle is eliminated in combat, it turns into a wreck by flipping over to its white side.
A wide variety of additional information can appear on the back of a vehicle counter. This information is provided so that the players may have ready access to it during the game, but it is applicable only to an unwrecked vehicle. When a vehicle is eliminated and turns into a wreck, all information for that vehicle – on both sides of the counter – is thereafter ignored.
Many vehicles have ammunition depletion numbers for the MA, which are read in exactly the same way as ammunition depletion numbers for Guns. Some American and American-built AFVs have a depletion number for "C" ammunition which is not used in ASLSK (in full ASL these AFVs can fire Canister rounds which have a deadly shotgun-like effect against Infantry, but with only a very short effective range).
In addition to ammunition depletion numbers and special usage notes, the other information that can appear on the back of a vehicle counter includes:
sD# – Smoke Discharger usage number
sM# – Smoke Mortar usage number
sN# – Nahverteidigungswaffe usage number
No IF – vehicle cannot use Intensive Fire
ML:9 – Tiger crew Morale 9
The remaining four items that can appear are used only when playing full ASL and do not apply to the ASLSK rules:
G – vehicle may be equipped with a Gyrostabilizer
Sz – vehicle may be equipped with Schuerzen
circled R – vehicle is not equipped with a radio
CS # – crew survival number (red = increased chance of a burning wreck)
Vehicle Status Counters
There are numerous aspects of a vehicle's status that are variable in nature, so a variety of additional counters are used to keep track of them.
The most important of these are the generic white turret counters that can be used with any turreted vehicle. These are used to indicate direction of the vehicle's Turret Covered Arc (TCA) and the crew's exposure status. One side of the turret counter depicts an open hatch occupied by the AFV's commander; this is the Crew Exposed (CE) side. The other side shows a closed hatch and is the Buttoned Up (BU) side.
When a turreted vehicle counter does not have a turret counter on it, the vehicle is BU and its turret is facing in the same direction as the vehicle itself. A turret counter must be placed whenever the crew opens a hatch to become CE, or the turret turns to face in a different direction than the vehicle. Whenever the vehicle becomes BU with the turret facing to the front, the turret counter is removed.
NT AFVs do not have a TCA to track, but they can become CE, so CE counters without a turret are also provided.
Malfunction counters are available for each type of weapon that an AFV can carry: BMG, CMG, AAMG, and MA. When an AFV weapon malfunctions, place the appropriate Malfunction counter on the vehicle. If the weapon is permanently disabled, flip the Malfunction counter over to its Disabled side.
Other vehicle status counters provided include Motion/Immobilized, Bog/Mired, Shock/UK, stun/+1, and STUN/Recall. These counters will be discussed later in this article.
Vehicle Counter Management
The design of the ASL vehicle counters packs a tremendous amount of information onto each counter, but this information is not always easily accessible to the players: many vehicles can cart around large stacks of status and acquisition counters, making it impossible to read the vehicle counter from a distance, and difficult to pick up the vehicle counter to look at it more closely.
But one key difference between a stack of vehicular status counters and a stack of Infantry counters is that the relative positioning of the vehicular counters within the stack has no particular significance. The only positioning requirement is that the vehicle counter itself, and the turret counter (if present), must be kept pointing in their proper facing direction.
This means that, in many situations, you can simply place these vehicular status counters in a hex next to the vehicle they apply to so that the vehicle counter itself remains in full view of the players. Even a turret counter can be removed from on top of the vehicle: you can place the turret on the adjacent hexspine (the hexspine that it would point to if it was still on top of the vehicle counter), so that it continues to show the direction the turret is facing without covering up the vehicle counter.
Spreading out your vehicular status markers like this can really make the game easier to play, especially in scenarios with a lot of vehicles, because you can take in the entire tactical situation at a glance. Note, however, that if you do this you must position the status counters so that there is absolutely no question as to which vehicle they belong to. In situations where the nearby hexes are cluttered with Infantry and/or other vehicles – or if your opponent objects – then you will have to place all of a vehicle's status counters on top of that vehicle.
To see how this can work, place the following counters on board v in hex vX6:
* American M4A2(L) tank facing towards vW7-vX7
* BU turret counter facing towards vW6-vW7
* CMG malfunction counter
* Motion counter
* –2 Acquired Target counter (from an enemy Gun)
You can see that it might be a challenge to remember exactly what is in that stack... and then imagine a big armor scenario with numerous stacks just like it scattered across the map!
Now try placing those counters like this:
* vX6: American M4A2(L) tank facing towards vW7-vX7
* hexspine between vW6-vW7: BU turret counter facing towards vV6
* vX5: CMG malfunction counter
* vY6: Motion counter
* vY7: –2 Acquired Target counter (from an enemy Gun)
As long as there are no Infantry in those hexes, and no other vehicles adjacent to those hexes, it will be perfectly clear that those status counters are for that particular tank. With this kind of counter layout, it is instantly clear what tank is present and what its complete status is.
A final tip for managing counter clutter is to only use the minimum number of Motion counters that are necessary. Motion counters are used to mark vehicles that remain in Motion at the end of their MPh. If you have vehicles that are adjacent to each other and moving as a group, either in a column along a road or in a line out in the field, just place a single Motion counter next to the lead vehicle and let it apply to the entire group. This technique is again dependent upon your opponent's agreement; if he objects, you will then have to do this "by the book" and place a Motion counter on each individual vehicle in the group.
Basic AFV Movement
AFV movement is quite a bit different than Infantry movement, so vehicles are assigned Movement Points (MP) rather than Movement Factors (MF). For example, when crossing a Crest Line into higher terrain, a unit that uses MF must pay double the normal MF cost of entering that hex, while a unit that uses MP must pay an additional 4 MP over the normal MP cost of entering that hex (or 2 MP additional if moving along a road). The use of the MF/MP terminology always makes it clear whether a specific movement rule applies to Infantry or to vehicles.
AFVs have a Covered Arc (CA) in the direction that they are facing, just like Guns do. This is called the Vehicle Covered Arc (VCA). The VCA defines the hexes into which an AFV can move, and into which a BMG can fire; if the AFV is NT, the VCA also then defines the hexes into which the MA can fire. Whenever a turreted AFV does not have a turret counter on it, its TCA and VCA are identical.
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MOVEMENT EXAMPLE #1
Place the following unit on board v:
vF5: American M4A2(L) facing vE5-vE6, BU
This tank's VCA includes the hex rows vE5-vA3, vE6-vA8, and all hexes in between these two rows. If the tank wishes to move, the only hexes it can enter would be vE5 and vE6; it would first have to turn to change its VCA, at a cost of 1 MP per hexspine, before it could enter any other adjacent hex.
Assume that it is the American MPh, and that the tank wishes to move. There is no Motion counter on the tank, so it is currently stopped. A stopped vehicle must spend 1 MP to start before it can spend any MP to actually move. Similarly, a moving vehicle must spend 1 MP to come to a halt (stop), although some combat results and some movement events can force a vehicle to stop without the expenditure of a Stop MP.
The expenditure of MP to start or stop does not actually represent the vehicle's engine being turned on or off, but it instead accounts for a motionless vehicle's inability to instantly accelerate to top speed, and a rapidly moving vehicle's inability to instantly come to a dead stop. In a real battle situation an AFV would likely keep its engine running at all times, so as to be able to start moving at a moment's notice.
The M4A2(L) begins its move by spending 1 MP to start. It has a total of 14 MP, so there are 13 MP remaining. It then spends 1 MP to turn its VCA to face vE5-vF4 (12 MP remaining) and spends 1 MP to enter vF4 (11 MP remaining).
The tank now spends 1 MP to enter the Orchard in vF3 (10 MP remaining), and 1 MP to turn its VCA to vF2-vG3 (9 MP remaining). In conjunction with that last MP expenditure, the player announces that the tank will turn its turret to face vG3-vG4 and it will also become CE, so a turret counter is placed on top of the M4A2(L), facing towards vG3-vG4, with the CE side up.
A vehicle's crew exposure status may be voluntarily changed only once during the MPh, in conjunction with any other MP expenditure. So a vehicle that begins its MPh BU may become CE at some point during its move, and a vehicle that begins its MPh CE may become BU at some point. In addition, a vehicle may also change its crew exposure status during the APh, regardless of whether or not it changed CE/BU status during the MPh.
A turreted vehicle's TCA may be changed at will in conjunction with any MP expenditure. There is no limit on how many times the TCA may be changed during a vehicle's MPh, nor is there any restriction on how many hexspines it can turn each time it does change.
The M4A2(L) now spends 1 MP to turn its VCA to vG3-vG4 (8 MP remaining). This VCA change also changes the TCA to vF4-vG4: if the player does not announce a specific TCA change in addition to the VCA change, the turret will remain stationary with respect to the vehicle's hull and the TCA will thus change by the same number of hexspines as the VCA.
The CE tank can now move along the road at the road movement rate of 1/2 MP per hex (if it was BU, it would have to pay 1 MP per road hex). The tank now expends 1.5 MP to move vG3-vH2-vI2 (6.5 MP remaining). As it enters vI2, it also changes its TCA to vH2-vI3.
The tank now expends 1 MP to enter vJ1 (5.5 MP remaining). This move costs 1 MP because, even though vJ1 is a road hex, there is no road crossing the hexside between vI2 and vJ1, so the tank must pay the Open Ground MP cost. If the tank had actually followed the road through vI1, the cost to move to vJ1 would have been 3 MP: 1 MP to turn left, 1/2 MP to enter vI1, 1 MP to turn right, 1/2 MP to enter vJ1. Taking the cross-country shortcut was much faster.
The tank now spends 4.5 MP to move vK2-vL2-vM3-vN3-vO4 (1 MP remaining) and it changes its TCA to vP3-vP4 as it enters vO4. The turret counter is not removed, even though the TCA is now the same as the VCA, because the tank is still CE.
At this point, with 1 MP remaining, the M4A2(L) has a decision to make: should it spend this last MP to move one more hex, or should it pay 1 MP to come to a full stop where it is? If it chooses to stop, it remains where it is and its MPh is completed. If it continues moving, then it could spend its last MP to enter either vP3 or vP4, at which point it would be marked with a Motion counter to remind the players that this tank has not stopped, and then its MPh would be over.
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Whenever an AFV expends any MP during a MPh, it must spend all of its MPs. A tank with 14 MP, for example, cannot just spend 1 MP to start, 1 MP to move one hex, 1 MP to stop and then declare that its MPh is over... it still has 11 unused MP unaccounted for, and they must be spent on something.
This is one of the biggest differences between AFV movement and Infantry movement. AFV movement works this way in order to account for the different vulnerabilities of AFVs and Infantry.
A squad becomes less vulnerable to enemy fire when it stops moving: the troops "go to ground" to take advantage of any available cover. Thus when a squad stops moving before using its full MF allowance, it becomes much harder to hit and is no longer vulnerable to any additional enemy Defensive First Fire.
But when an AFV stops moving, it becomes more vulnerable to enemy fire: it can't go to ground or otherwise take cover, and a vehicular target is much easier to hit when it is stationary than it is when it is moving. It would be unrealistic to allow a moving AFV to limit its vulnerability to Defensive First Fire by "moving slowly" (not spending all of its MP).
There are two ways in which an AFV can use up excess MP:
* Whenever a moving AFV is stopped, it can spend any number of MP as Delay points.
* When a moving AFV enters a new hex, it may pay more MP than is required.
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MOVEMENT EXAMPLE #2
Place the following units on board v:
vP7: German 2-2-8 crew
vP7: German 50L AT Gun facing vP6-vQ7
vT6: American M4A2(L) facing vS6-vS7, BU
The American tank wants to move into vS6 so that it will be in position to attack the Germans in vP7. There are three basic methods that it may use to execute this move.
(A) The M4A2(L) expends 1 MP to start, 1 MP to enter vS6, 1 MP to stop, and finally 11 Delay points in vS6.
(B) The M4A2(L) expends 1 MP to start, 12 MP to enter vS6, and 1 MP to stop.
(C) The M4A2(L) expends 11 Delay points in vT6, 1 MP to start, 1 MP to enter vS6, and 1 MP to stop.
Method (C) is somewhat safer than the first two methods, because the tank only expends 2 MP in the LOS of the AT Gun, limiting it to no more than two Defensive First Fire shots. Methods (A) and (B) both expend 13 MP in the LOS of the AT Gun, which would allow the Gun up to 13 Defensive First Fire shots (assuming that the Gun could actually retain its ROF that many times).
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Just prior to the previous Movement Example, I wrote: "Whenever a moving AFV is stopped..." Did this wording sound a little strange to you? After all, if a vehicle stops, it is no longer a moving vehicle... right?
Well, this brings us to what is probably the most difficult-to-understand part of vehicular movement in ASL: the three movement "states" that a vehicle can have, and the confusing terminology that is used to describe them.
A vehicle in ASL can have various combinations of the following three states:
* Motion vehicle
* Stopped or non-stopped vehicle
* Moving Target
It's perfectly natural to think that these are just three different ways of describing the same thing, but these are actually describing three different things. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for you to learn and understand these three movement states and how they interact with one another. If you don't understand them properly, you will become hopelessly confused when trying to figure out how vehicles move and fight in ASL.
The following vehicular movement status summary, written by Ole Boe, a noted ASL rules expert, is the best and most concise summary of these movement states that I have found:
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VEHICULAR MOVEMENT STATUS
moving: A vehicle that is currently executing its MPh.
Motion: A vehicle that is not moving and not stopped.
non-stopped: A vehicle that is moving and not stopped.
Moving Target: A vehicle that is/has been in Motion and/or entered a new hex this Player Turn.
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Ole's summary is not just for beginners... I keep a printed copy with my player aids for full ASL as well (the full ASL version has one small addition to the "Moving Target" line that doesn't apply to ASLSK).
The phrase "Moving Target" is used interchangeably with the phrase "Moving Vehicle", but even though they have the same meaning, "Moving Target" is preferable as it is less likely to be confused with the term "moving" that simply refers to a vehicle that is executing its MPh.
For example, to ask: "Is the moving vehicle a Moving Vehicle?" just seems silly, but if we rephrase that question as: "Is the moving vehicle a Moving Target?" it makes a little more sense. And the question is a valid one, because a vehicle that is moving (executing its MPh) is not always a Moving Target.
Let's examine how these three movement states work in more detail.
A moving vehicle is a vehicle that is currently executing its MPh: a vehicle that is expending MPs to enter new hexes, change its VCA, start and/or stop, etc. Only one vehicle at a time can be a moving vehicle.
A moving vehicle that ends its MPh without stopping becomes a Motion vehicle, and it is marked with a Motion counter. A vehicle that is in Motion remains in Motion until a combat result forces it to stop, or until it begins to execute its next MPh (when it once again becomes a moving vehicle instead of a Motion vehicle). Thus moving and Motion are mutually exclusive: a vehicle can be one or the other, but never both at once.
A vehicle that is moving can be either stopped or non-stopped, and could possibly change back and forth between those two several times in a single MPh. That is, a moving vehicle could expend some MPs, then stop and expend some Delay points, then start again and expend more MPs, then stop again and expend more Delay points, etc., up to the limit of its available MPs.
Stopped/non-stopped status really only applies to moving vehicles, because vehicles that are in Motion are always non-stopped. Vehicles that are not moving and not in Motion are always stopped.
A vehicle is a Moving Target if it is in Motion; it is also a Moving Target if it had been in Motion, or if it entered a new hex, earlier in the current Player Turn. Once a vehicle becomes a Moving Target, it remains a Moving Target until the end of the current Player Turn. Thus it is entirely possible to have a vehicle that is not moving, and is not in Motion, that is nevertheless still a Moving Target.
Players must keep track of these confusing vehicle movement states because of their effect on combat. If you look through the TH DR Modifiers list, you will see several references to Motion, Moving Vehicle (meaning Moving Target), stopped, and non-stopped.
But before we get to actual combat using vehicles, let's look at some more movement examples to demonstrate exactly how these movement states work.
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MOVEMENT EXAMPLE #3
Place the following units on board v:
vK6: German 2-2-8 crew
vK6: German 50L AT Gun facing vL5-vL6
vO7: American M4A2(L) facing vN6-vO6, BU
It is the beginning of the American MPh. The American tank is not moving, it is not in Motion, it is stopped, and it is not a Moving Target.
Note that if the American player declines to do any activities with this tank during this MPh it will not expend any MPs at all and will remain stationary throughout the MPh.
The American player now announces that the tank will start moving, and it expends 1 MP to start (13 MP remaining). It is now a moving vehicle, or, if you prefer, "the" moving vehicle (because you can never have more than one moving vehicle at any given time). In addition, it is not in Motion, it is non-stopped, and it is not a Moving Target.
Why is it still not a Moving Target, even though it has begun to expend MPs? Because, so far in this Player Turn, it has not yet been in Motion or entered a new hex, which are the only two things that can give it Moving Target status. And, since the tank cannot be in Motion until after its MPh is complete (remember that moving and Motion are mutually exclusive), the only way for this tank to gain Moving Target status in this MPh is for it to enter a new hex. The M4A2(L) is in a curious state where it is no longer stopped, but not yet a Moving Target.
The tank now spends 1 MP to change its VCA to vN6-vN7 (12 MP remaining), but it still is not a Moving Target. It has now spent 2 MP in the German AT Gun's LOS, which means that the Gun could have fired at it twice, and the tank would not have received the defensive benefit of being a Moving Target for either shot.
The tank now spends 1 MP to enter vN7 (11 MP remaining), which moves it out of the Gun's LOS (the Gun on the hill cannot see over building vM7 to any lower level hex). The tank also finally gains Moving Target status, so it is now: moving, not in Motion, non-stopped, and a Moving Target.
Another MP is spent to enter hex vM8, and then the tank spends 1 MP to stop. The remaining 9 MP are spent as Delay points, which concludes the tank's MPh. The tank is now: not moving, not in Motion, stopped, but still a Moving Target. It will remain a Moving Target until the end of the American Player Turn.
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A vehicle that moves as a Moving Target and then stops retains Moving Target status only until the end of the current Player Turn. The tank would therefore have Moving Target status during the German DFPh, but in the following German Player Turn it would not be a Moving Target during the German PFPh.
To understand why the tank remains a Moving Target even after it ends its MPh stopped, remember that almost all of the actions that occur during a turn would actually be happening simultaneously in real life. Thus, a tank that comes to a stop during its MPh, and then much later in the turn is fired on in the DFPh, is a Moving Target because, in a real battle, this firing would be occurring as the tank was moving and coming to a stop. Or, to put it another way: choosing to wait until your DFPh to fire at a moving tank that stops does not allow you to treat it as if it spent the entire turn motionless, which would certainly not be realistic.
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MOVEMENT EXAMPLE #4
Place the following units on board v:
vK6: German 2-2-8 crew
vK6: German 50L AT Gun facing vL5-vL6
vO7: American M4A2(L) facing vN6-vO6, BU, in Motion
It is the beginning of the American MPh. The American tank is not moving, it is in Motion, it is non-stopped, and it is a Moving Target. This tank has been a Moving Target right from the start of the Player Turn, because it began the Player Turn with a Motion counter on it.
The tank begins its MPh by spending 1 MP to change its VCA to vN6-vN7 (13 MP remaining). The Motion counter is removed, and the tank is now moving, not in Motion, non-stopped, and a Moving Target.
The Tank now spends 4 MP to enter vN7 (paying 3 MP more than necessary, 9 MP remaining), moves to vL8 (7 MP remaining), changes its VCA to vK8-vL7 (6 MP remaining), spends 5 MP to enter vK8 (1 MP remaining), and then stops (all MP expended). After completing its MPh, the tank is not moving, not in Motion, stopped, but still a Moving Target.
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And one final movement example:
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MOVEMENT EXAMPLE #5
Place the following units on board v:
vK6: German 2-2-8 crew
vK6: German 50L AT Gun facing vL5-vL6
vO7: American M4A2(L) facing vN6-vO6, BU
It is the beginning of the American MPh. The American tank is not moving, it is not in Motion, it is stopped, and it is not a Moving Target.
The tank spends 12 Delay points, and then spends 1 MP to start and 1 MP to change its VCA to vN6-vN7 (all MP expended). Place a Motion counter on the tank. The tank is not moving, it is in Motion, it is non-stopped, and it is a Moving Target.
But it was never a Moving Target during its MPh! The German AT Gun could have taken up to 14 Defensive First Fire shots at the tank, but none of them would have been against a Moving Target. The tank became a Moving Target only when the Motion counter was placed on it, after the tank's MPh was completed.
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At this point, if you are getting frustrated with the whole confusing business of: "moving vehicles are not in Motion" and "vehicles in Motion are not moving", etc.... well, welcome to the club. It's unfortunate, but the ASL vehicle movement rules use a lot of unnecessarily confusing terminology. The game plays fine once you get used to this terminology, but keep Ole's movement status summary handy... just in case!
AFV Combat: Stationary
When ordnance is fired at an Infantry target and scores a hit, the shot is resolved with a DR on the IFT. But firing ordnance at an AFV introduces a new method of resolving a hit: the To Kill process.
Firing ordnance at an AFV is a two-step procedure. First you select the type of ammunition that you wish to fire, figure a TH#, and make a TH DR to see if your shot hits the target. If a hit occurs, you then figure a To Kill number (TK#) from your ammunition type and the target's applicable AF value, and make a TK DR to see if your shot has any effect on the target.
The IFT is usually not used at all when firing ordnance at an AFV, except to resolve any collateral attack on an AFV's exposed crew (Rule 7.12). If the AFV is BU, then no collateral attack can occur.
There's a tremendous amount of material to cover just to demonstrate the most basic elements of combat with AFVs, so this first Combat Example is going to be quite lengthy.
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COMBAT EXAMPLE #1
Place the following units on board v:
vK6: German 2-2-8 crew
vK6: German 50L AT Gun "B" facing vL5-vL6
vP7: German 4-6-7 squad
vR5: American M4A2(L) facing vQ5-vQ6, CE, TCA of vQ5-vQ6
vR5: German –1 Acquired Target counter "B" (from a previous shot)
It is the beginning of the German PFPh. The German player decides to fire his AT Gun at the American tank. The Gun has three types of ammunition available: HE, AP, and APCR. The type of ammunition to be used must be selected before the TH DR is made.
When you fire ordnance at a vehicle, you will normally use the Vehicle Target Type (VTT) section of the To Hit Chart. The VTT works in much the same way as the ATT and the ITT, with one important difference: when you fire using the ATT or the ITT, your shot will affect all of the units in the target hex (except that a shot using the ITT cannot affect a BU AFV); but when you fire using the VTT, your shot will only affect the one specific vehicle that you are firing at.
The range here is 7 hexes, which gives a basic TH# of 9 for a German 50L on the VTT.
You'll notice that, along with the addition of the VTT section to the To Hit Chart, the number of possible To Hit modifiers has increased from 18 (in ASLSK #2) to 25. There really are no shortcuts to learning this long list of TH DRMs; just go through the entire list each time you shoot to see which ones apply to that shot. This will become much easier and faster with repetition, and people who play on a regular basis can often actually memorize the list and do all of the TH DRMs for common situations in their heads. This list looks daunting, and it does take a while to understand everything that affects a TH DR... but once you get the hang of it the system is actually pretty simple to use.
For this first look at a shot against a tank, I'll run through all 25 cases ("NA" means "not applicable").
Firer Based TH DRMs:
1. NA
2. NA
3. NA
4. NA
5. NA
6. NA
7. NA
8. NA
9. NA
10. NA
11. NA
12. NA
13. NA
14. NA
15. NA
16. NA
Target Based TH DRMs:
17. NA
18. NA (Grain Hindrance does not apply because the Gun is on a higher level than the Grain)
19. NA
20. –1
21. NA
22. –1 (large target)
23. NA
24. NA
25. NA
Thus only two cases on the list apply to this shot, and both of them are obvious just from looking at the map (there's a –1 Acquired Target counter, and the tank's counter shows that it is a large target).
This shot is then a TH9/–2, so the Gun will either score a hit or malfunction... it cannot possibly fire and miss! (An original TH DR of 11 or less is a hit; an original TH DR of 12 is a malfunction). When the VTT is used, a Critical Hit (CH) occurs only on an original TH DR of 2.
The shot will hit the front of the tank, so the AF value used will be 11 for a hull hit, and 8 for a turret hit (a circled "11" means that the turret front armor is one step less than the hull front armor). Assuming that the shot actually hits the target AFV, a turret hit occurs if the colored dr of the TH DR is less than the white dr; if the colored dr is equal to or greater than the white dr, then a hull hit occurs.
* AP (Armor Piercing):
The German 50L has a basic TK# of 13 at range 7. This basic TK# would be doubled to 26 if a CH occurs. The final TK# is found by subtracting the target's AF from the basic TK#. Here, a hull hit would have a final TK# of 2 (TK# 13 – 11 AF), and a turret hit would have a final TK# of 5 (TK# 13 – 8 AF).
Once the final TK# is known, a TK DR is made and the result found on the Direct Fire column of the AFV Destruction Table. Assuming that the final TK# was 5 for a turret hit, the possible results of the TK DR are as follows:
TK DR 4 or less – Elim (flip AFV over to wrecked side)
TK DR 5 – Shock
TK DR 6 – Possible Shock (crew NMC)
TK DR 7 or more – no effect
The tank's exposed crew would also be attacked with a 2/+2 (2 FP from the 50mm AP, Rule 6.2; +2 DRM from the partial protection of the tank, Rule 7.7) collateral attack (Rule 7.12) on the IFT using the TK DR, but this will have no effect: a TK DR of 4 or less would be needed for the collateral attack to affect the crew, but such a DR would simply kill the tank outright in this situation. Collateral attacks are not resolved if the AFV is killed or shocked by the primary attack.
A Shock result forces the AFV to immediately BU (if CE) and stop (if moving or in Motion). It is marked with a Shock counter, and must attempt to recover in the RPh as described in Rule 7.10. It can do nothing at all until it recovers, and any acquisition it might have gained against another target is lost. A Possible Shock result requires the AFV crew to take a NMC using the Morale value of that nation's best unbroken Elite Infantry; the AFV is shocked if this NMC is failed (which is the only adverse result that this NMC can have).
Shock is one of the most interesting results of AFV combat, and when it occurs it adds a lot of uncertainty to the battle. A shocked tank is either dead or completely unharmed... but neither player knows for sure! Do you keep shooting at a shocked enemy tank to try to ensure a kill? Or do you give up your acquisition and switch to another target, and hope that the shocked tank doesn't later recover and rejoin the battle?
If the shot had hit the hull, resulting in a final TK# of 2, the possible results of the TK DR would be as follows:
TK DR 2 – Immobilized, collateral attack 1MC
TK DR 3 – Possible Shock (crew NMC), collateral attack NMC if not shocked
TK DR 4 – collateral attack PTC
TK DR 5 or more – no effect
The M4A2(L)'s front hull armor is thick enough that the 50L cannot get an Elim result against it at this range with a normal hit (the TK DR cannot be less than 2). But with no chance to kill the tank, and only a slight chance to shock it, there are several chances for the collateral attack (2/+2 on the IFT) to possibly affect the exposed crew.
Note also that there is nothing special about an original TK DR of 2... a TK DR is one of the few instances in ASL/ASLSK that rolling an original DR 2 doesn't trigger some special result.
* APCR (Armor Piercing Composite Rigid):
Regular AP rounds would sometimes shatter on impact, doing little or no damage to the target AFV. This led to the development of the APCR round, which had a shatter-proof core made of tungsten. APCR rounds were much more effective than regular AP rounds, but they were never available in large quantities.
Shots with APCR are resolved in exactly the same way as shots with AP... they will just have a higher basic TK#, but a lower collateral attack value (1 FP).
If the German 50L had successfully fired using APCR, the basic TK# of 17 would have given a final TK# of 9 for a turret hit and 6 for a hull hit.
Possible results for an APCR turret hit:
TK DR 8 or less – Elim (flip AFV over to wrecked side)
TK DR 9 – Shock
TK DR 10 – Possible Shock (crew NMC)
TK DR 11 or more – no effect
Possible results for an APCR hull hit:
TK DR 5 or less – Elim (flip AFV over to wrecked side)
TK DR 6 – Immobilized
TK DR 7 – Possible Shock (crew NMC)
TK DR 8 or more – no effect
* HE (High Explosive):
Normally it is quite difficult to kill an AFV using HE, but the American tank here is vulnerable to HE because of its exposed crew. (Leaving a tank CE this close to enemy forces is often a bad idea, but I've done so in this example because it allows me to demonstrate a number of different rules.)
The 50L's HE round has a basic TK# of 6, as found on the HE and Flame To Kill Table. This TK# is too low to defeat the American tank's armor, and even a CH (TK# of 12) would only have a chance of a kill against the weaker turret armor. But the collateral attack from the HE round will be a 6/+2 against the exposed crew.
Possible results for a non-CH HE hit:
original TK DR 2 – collateral attack 2MC
original TK DR 3 or 4 – collateral attack 1MC
original TK DR 5 – collateral attack NMC
original TK DR 6 – collateral attack PTC
original TK DR 7 or more – no effect
In reviewing the types of ammunition that the German 50L AT Gun could use in this situation, APCR definitely gives it the best chance of killing the American tank. But APCR is a depletable ammunition, so there's no guarantee the Gun will actually be able to use it. HE has no chance of killing the American tank, barring a CH on the turret, but its collateral attack could force the AFV to BU or even stun it.
If an AFV crew suffers a Pin result, it must BU immediately (but no Pin counter is placed).
If an AFV crew fails a MC that was not caused by a Possible Shock result, the AFV is marked with a stun counter. A stunned AFV must immediately BU and stop, and may not move or attack for the remainder of that Player Turn. At the end of the Player Turn, the stun counter is flipped over to its +1 side, which adds a +1 DRM to all of that AFV's future TH, IFT, CC, and MC DRs.
Note that there are "stun" counters, and "STUN" counters, which are two different conditions. You can think of a stun counter as representing a wounded AFV commander, while a STUN counter could represent a dead AFV commander. A STUN counter is placed on an AFV if its exposed crew suffers a K or KIA result, or if the crew rolls an original DR 12 on a MC that was not caused by a Possible Shock result, or if a crew that has already been stunned once is stunned a second time.
A STUN counter has the same effect as a stun counter, except that the AFV is recalled and it must exit the map via a friendly board edge as soon as possible once it regains the ability to move (Rule 7.10). Thus a stun result allows an AFV to continue fighting, but a STUN result forces an AFV to withdraw from the battle.
The German Gun, of course, could continue to fire at the American tank until it loses ROF, and then it could choose to use Intensive Fire to take one more shot.
The German 4-6-7 squad in building vP7 can also fire at the American tank, because the crew is CE. This attack would be a 4/+2 on the IFT, with the +2 DRM again being due to the partial protection that the tank offers its exposed crew. The squad would need to roll a DR 5 or less for its attack to have any effect.
The squad could also try to fire a Panzerfaust (PF) at the tank, but this would have little chance of success. First, the range is 3 hexes, so this action would have to be taking place in 1945 for a PF to even be able to hit a target that far away. Next, the squad would have to see if they have a PF ready to fire, which would require a PF availability dr of 4 or less (–1 drm for 1945). The basic TH# for a PF at range 3 is 4, so the shot would be either TH4/+1 (+2 avoid backblast, –1 large target) or a TH4/–1 if they choose to not avoid the backblast.
They are unlikely to score a hit if they avoid the backblast, and if they accept the backblast they have a good chance of harming themselves (Rule 4.4.3). However, should they fire a PF and hit the tank, well... there's no point wasting time calculating a TK# for a PF hit; just make a DR to check for a dud (original DR 12). If it's not a dud, the tank is killed. PFs are so incredibly powerful that only one Allied tank in ASLSK #3 even has a chance of surviving a PF hit: the Russian IS-2m, and it only has a chance to survive if the PF hits its front hull (26 AF)!
Note that in the ASLSK rules, a PF is the only weapon that suffers a dud on an original TK DR of 12, but in full ASL, an original TK DR of 12 is a dud for all weapons.
Let's assume that the German units fired at the American tank with no effect, and that no German units moved in the MPh, which will allow us to explore the American attack options in the DFPh.
The American M4A2(L) can fire its MA and all three of its MGs, and the MA can possibly fire multiple times if it retains ROF. This AFV is equipped with an AAMG, which can fire in any direction without penalty (it does not have a CA). However, an AAMG can only be fired (and repaired) if the AFV is CE.
If the tank wants to fire MGs at the 4-6-7 squad in vP7, the AAMG is currently the only MG that can fire at it. An attack by the AAMG alone would be a 4/+2 on the IFT, and the MA, BMG, and CMG could then be used against the German AT Gun in vK6.
The CA change DRMs that apply when a Gun fires outside its CA, listed in #8 on the TH DR Modifiers list, also apply to the IFT DR if a BMG fires at a target outside the VCA, or a CMG fires at a target outside the TCA.
If the tank wanted to fire both the AAMG and the CMG at the 4-6-7, the TCA would have to change to vQ6-vR6. The resulting shot would be a 8/+3 (+2 TEM, +1 T TCA change), and the BMG could still be used against the AT Gun. If the tank then fired the MA at the 4-6-7, the +1 T TCA change DRM would apply to that shot as well (the CMG and the MA would actually be firing simultaneously at the 4-6-7, so the TCA change would affect both attacks), or the MA could fire at the AT Gun, which again would have a +1 T TCA change DRM for turning the turret back to its original facing.
You might think that, if you turn the turret to fire the CMG at the squad, and then turn the turret back to fire the MA at the Gun, that the MA's shot would have a +2 TCA change DRM because of the two turret turns (+1 each)... but it doesn't work that way. CA change DRMs are never cumulative when firing at different targets. In other words, when you fire at a target and then change CA to fire at a different target, only the CA change DRM involved in turning from the first target to the second target applies; any CA change DRM that applied to the attack on the first target is ignored for the attack on the second target.
If the tank wanted to fire the BMG and the CMG at the 4-6-7, it would have to change its VCA to vQ6-vR6. This shot would be a 6/+5 (+2 TEM, +3 NT VCA change). The AAMG could then be used against the AT Gun, but could not make a separate attack on the 4-6-7, because Mandatory FG applies to an AFV's MGs.
The tank could also fire all three MGs at the 4-6-7, but this 10 FP attack would actually only be an 8/+5 because the IFT does not have a "10" column. Thus nothing is gained by firing the BMG in conjunction with the other two MGs, so the tank would be better off just turning the turret to fire the CMG & AAMG at the 4-6-7 (8/+3) and using the 2 FP BMG to fire at the AT Gun.
Let's assume that the tank decided to fire the AAMG at the 4-6-7 (4/+2) and the BMG & CMG at the AT Gun (6/+2) and that these two attacks had no effect. No TCA or VCA changes were necessary for these attacks. The tank can now select a target for its MA. (Note that the tank could have fired its four weapons in any order that it wished; there is no requirement that the MGs fire before the MA.)
The M4A2(L) can fire HE, AP, Smoke, and WP, but in this demonstration it will only fire HE against the German Infantry targets.
If the tank fires at the AT Gun at a range of 7 hexes, the basic TH# using the ITT is 7. The TH DRMs would be +2 TEM (emplaced Gun) and +1 small target, making the shot a TH7/+3. The Gun does not get the +1 Height Advantage TEM because it already has a positive TEM from being emplaced, and it also cannot use the +2 gunshield TEM for the same reason (although if the tank scores a hit that is not a Direct Hit, the gunshield +2 DRM would then apply to the IFT roll).
A hit on the Gun is resolved as a 12/+0 IFT attack. If this attack does not result in a K or KIA (which represent a Direct Hit on the Gun itself) you then add +2 to the IFT DR (the gunshield +2 TEM) to find the result that is applied to the crew. In other words, if the 12/+0 does not result in a Direct Hit, you then treat it as a 12/+2 because of the gunshield.
If there was another squad in the AT Gun's hex, the tank's HE shot using the ITT could hit it as well. Against this additional squad the shot would be a TH7/+1 (+1 Height Advantage TEM). If the tank then rolled a TH DR of 5, the shot would miss the Gun and its crew (5 + 3 = 8) but it would hit the additional squad (5 + 1 = 6) which would then suffer a 12/+0 attack on the IFT. A TH DR of 4 or less would hit both the Gun/crew and the additional squad.
If the tank wishes to fire its MA at the 4-6-7, it must change its TCA to vQ6-vR6. The shot at range 3 using the ITT is a TH8/+3 (+1 T TCA change, +2 TEM). Had the tank chosen to change its VCA instead of its TCA, then the shot would be a TH8/+5 (+3 NT VCA change, +2 TEM).
And finally, note that an AFV does not have to be in Motion in order to change its VCA when firing, nor does such a VCA change cause an AFV to gain Motion status.
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Whew! ...and that was just the bare basics of AFV combat.
(continued in next post)
Last edited on 2008-12-06 16:39:27 CST (Total Number of Edits: 1)
Posted Sat Dec 6, 2008 11:40 am
! That's incredible work and sure will give me a good read...
